Golden feathers
by Sandylee007
Summary: THREESHOT Ray and Kai's relationship has never been smooth, and now Ray's had enough. Will Kai be able to change his mind? YAOI KaRe COMPLETED!
1. Leaving

A/N: Yeah, a new story! Yippii!

And once again, the disclaimer: I **still** do not own anything concerning Beyblade, okay? Good.

Before beginning the story, I want to note that there'll be plenty of flashbacks, as this story moves in two timelines: present and past. But don't worry, they should be quite clear, and the flashbacks move in timeline from the oldest to newest. Anyway, if you get confused, don't be afraid to ask me for help, alright? I'll do my best in explaining myself. (grin)

Well, here it begins! Hope you like it.

* * *

/ _At first Kai thought he was still dreaming as he heard silent whimpers through the terrible noise of thunder. He was just about to drift back into sleep when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. _

_He growled, deeply irritated, and was just about to drift off to sleep when he heard the silent, desperate whisper. " Kai… Please, wake up"._

_Sighing deeply, he turned around. A frown crossed his features as he saw Ray's face that was a mask of fear. " Ray? What's wrong?" he asked, voice still sleepy._

_Ray flinched and jumped visibly as another roar of thunder almost made the room shutter. " It's… It's the thunder"._

_Kai didn't know if he should've been annoyed or amused. " Are you seriously afraid of something as childish as that?"._

_Ray seemed hurt, then jumped for another roar of thunder. " Don't be mean". Ray seemed embarrassed all of a sudden. " Look, I… I would really need company, and…"._

_A warm, yet small smile twisted the corners of Kai's lips upwards. The sight almost took Ray's breath away – he didn't remember ever seeing another smile so beautiful. Or was it just because it was so rare? What Kai did next, however, shocked him even more. Slowly, almost hesitantly, Kai moved his blanket, looking at him with usually fierce burgundy eyes soft all of a sudden. " Come here", the Russian half-whispered. " I don't want you to stay awake all night, you'd be no good in training tomorrow"._

_Despite the still raging thunder, Ray couldn't help smiling as he obeyed and snuggled himself as close to Kai as possible without scaring the boy. Still smiling, he let his tired eyes slide shut, enjoying of Kai's warmth that made him feel completely safe. " Thanks", he murmured, then fell asleep._

_A smile Ray couldn't see light up Kai's face as the Phoenix heard Ray purr in his sleep. " You're welcome", he whispered._ /

* * *

Golden eyes snapped open as the monotonous voice suddenly came to Ray's ears.

" Flight to New York is about to land. Please fasten your seatbelts".

Giving a slight sigh, Ray did as ordered, then turned his head to look out of the window. The huge, sparkling city seemed to be approaching him in an breathtaking speed, and without even self noticing it he held his breath and squeezed his hands into tight fists, eyes widening in excitement.

Of course he'd been in a plane for dozens of times before, but the landing was still always a breathtaking experience to him. He wasn't afraid of it, no, just… excited, almost like child. He always enjoyed of the thrill he got from the feeling of the huge plain hitting the ground.

But soon enough the magic disappeared as the plain landed safely, and the monotonous speaker announced that it was time to leave the plane, time to face the harsh reality. With a loud sigh Ray prepared to abandon his seat.

* * *

/ _Not a word had been said or even needed for at least twenty minutes as Ray and Kai walked towards their current hotel-room in the already dark alleys of London, holding each other's hand without even noticing it. Sun had set for hours earlier, but neither felt tired. In Kai's calming company Ray, who was usually extremely jumpy and cautious in new environment, didn't even notice the apparent signs of threat their surroundings were sending._

_They'd been walking around like this dozens of times during the past year, not really talking, just enjoying of their changing surroundings and each other's company. They both knew how suspicious it must've looked – two guys constantly running away from their team like that – but they didn't care. They were too much at peace with one another._

_Both became almost disappointed as they arrived to their hotel, and the moment when their magic would have to break came closer. But instead of entering, they both stood by the door, almost like paralyzed. Like following some mysterious manuscript they took one short step towards each other, and before either even realized what they were doing their lips met in a soft, yet passionate kiss that both had been waiting for since the magical stormy night._ /

* * *

It seemed to take forever before Ray was finally out of the plane, and even longer before he finally spotted Max from the crowd. The blonde was smiling to him as always, but this time there seemed to be something more to it. Pity, sadness… Ray knew the feeling, but couldn't find a name to it.

" Hi Ray!" the young man greeted him, making his way towards him. " Let me take those bags for you".

" Thanks", he murmured, feeling the dark cloud inside of him thicken in Max's bright and shining presence. Perhaps he'd been a fool thinking so, but he had in a way hoped that being around Max would somehow make him feel better. It seemed that he'd once again been mistaken.

They walked in silence for quite some time, avoiding the worst crowd and both obviously wondering what would be the best way to begin the inevitable conversation.

When they were finally out of the airport, the chilly autumn air embracing them and cooling Ray's face heated by all the crying he'd done, Max begun. " Ray… This is kinda drastic, don't you think?" the blonde said carefully, obviously avoiding direct eye-contact with him. " Are you really sure about this?".

" Yes, I am". Ray's voice was much more harsh than he had first intended, but he didn't even notice it. His golden eyes wetted once more, and it took just about all his strength not to cry again. " I just… I can't go back to him, not after everything…".

Seeming less than convinced, Max nodded. Tough there was clearly a lot the young man would've wanted to say, he ended up saying just one word, knowing that there was nothing he could do or say that would change Ray's stubborn mind. " Okay".

* * *

/ _The mansion of Hiwatari-family echoed with shouts of anger as two lovers threw bitter words of frustration towards each other._

" _You can't seriously be that insecure, Ray!" Kai yelled. " So I'm not even allowed to have a cup of coffee with Tala now, is that what you're saying?". Attempting to calm himself, Kai clenched his hands into tight fists. " Tala is a friend, Ray, nothing more. If you can't believe that…"._

" _How am I supposed to know what to believe in when you won't tell me how you feel!" Ray bellowed back. " I don't know what the hell Tala is, and that's beside the point! But we've been together for months, and I still don't have clue of what you feel for me!"._

" _How the hell am I supposed to know what I feel when you keep pressuring me!" Kai cried, voice tightened with frustration. " I don't know, Ray! I just don't know, okay!"._

_The words affected Ray as tough the boy had been shot. He visibly flinched, and his golden cat's-eyes widened. The boy was obviously shivering as he took one step back, then another._

_Realizing what he'd just said, Kai inhaled a gasp, his eyes also widening. " Oh my God…", he whispered. " Ray…"._

_But it was too late to take back the harmful words. The neko-jin turned around faster than Kai had ever seen anyone move and ran away before he could utter another word._ /

* * *

Long and silent car-trip later, Ray followed Max as the young man opened the door of his new, two weeks ago bought apartment. Entering the small, slightly shabby yet strangely comfortable one-room apartment, he noticed with slight amusement that a huge amount of boxes were still laying around unpacked.

Some things never change, it seemed.

He startled slightly as someone suddenly emerged Max's bedroom. It was a beautiful young woman – probably about Max's age – with thick, shortcut hair that were dyed black from top and white from the bottom, and emerald green eyes. Ray looked away with slight embarrassment and huge pain as the woman – who was obviously unaware of his presence – walked up to Max and kissed the young man passionately. " Hi. I missed you", Ray heard her whisper.

" Missed you too". That was apparently the point where Max decided to make Ray's existence noticed. " Bria, this is Ray, the friend I went to pick up from the airport. Ray, this is Bria, my… fiancée".

Hearing the last word, Ray arched an eyebrow. Little-Maxie had clearly forgotten to tell him – and everyone else, for that matter – something…

Pity briefly flashed in Bria's eyes as she saw the wheelchair Ray was sitting in, but she quickly disguised it with a huge smile. " Hi. Nice to meet you".

* * *

/ _Ray didn't know for how long he'd been sitting on the bridge, cold wind striking his body shivering from both cold and sobs. Tears of pain were running down his face as Kai's words stroke his mind, again and again._

" _How the hell am I supposed to know what I feel when you keep pressuring me! I don't know, Ray! I just don't know, okay!"._

_He didn't remember ever feeling the kind of anger he felt at the moment, least of all caused by someone he loved so much. The new-found feeling was driving him crazy – just like Kai always did. It seemed the Phoenix managed to pull the best and the worst out of him._

_Is love supposed to be this complicated, he wondered._

_Ray let out a sob, then tensed as he heard steps approaching him. Even without looking he knew it was Kai – his cat's-senses immediately recognized his love's soft scent of mint – and he couldn't help wondering what the boy would do. Neither said a word as Kai eventually stopped, stood beside him. _

_The silence must've lasted for several minutes before Kai finally spoke. " I'm sorry"._

" _Is it true?" Ray asked, tough he was afraid of the answer. His voice was harsh for fear and crying, sounded unfamiliar in his ears. " Do you really not know?"._

_Kai sighed, staring at some spot in distance to avoid looking at him. " I wish I could say I am sure, Ray. You have no idea of how much. It's just…". Kai sighed again, obviously frustrated, and this time looked at him, a lost look in his auburn eyes. The Phoenix was obviously on the verge of tears. " I'm so scared of all this. I… I don't know anything…"._

_Ray felt his rage melt. No matter how frustrated or pissed off he was at Kai, he couldn't bare seeing his love that lost. " Sh…". Forgetting all his previous pain and anger, Ray leaned in, catching Kai's lips in a small, comforting kiss. As the kiss ended, he leaned his forehead against Kai's and brushed the boy's face gently with his hand, his eyes closed. " You'll be sure eventually, Kai. It's okay". He granted Kai another small kiss. " I'll help you"._ /

* * *

Later that night, with Bria going off for work (she had a nightshift as a nurse in a hospital) and Max already in bed, Ray looked from the window as life flashed by below him. Even tough it was late, the streets were still filled with people and energy, noises and all kinds of echoes of life.

Ray envied those people who still had spark inside of them. He suspected they didn't even know how lucky they were.

As an old habit, he reached his fingers to touch his finger where a ring, a sign of promise given by Kai, had previously been. He blinked in surprise and looked down at his hand as his fingers met soft skin, then valiantly fought away the tears as he remembered why the ring wasn't there anymore.

He couldn't cry anymore, he'd been doing far too much of that already. Besides, what good did the tears do anymore?

" Ray?". He almost jumped as the sleepy, groggy voice of Max met his ears. " What are you still doing up? It's two am".

" Couldn't sleep", he replied shortly, hoping that it would satisfy his friend.

Max's approaching steps told him it didn't. Soon enough his friend was stood beside him with a worried look in his blue eyes. " I still don't understand why you left him, Ray", Max told him gently, obviously worriedly. The young man gave him a stern look. " And I still think I deserve an explanation. After all, it's my couch you're occupying".

Staring out the window, Ray said nothing.

* * *

/ _As Ray entered the training-hall in Moscow, his blood immediately begun to boil at what he saw. _

_Kai and Tala were stood on the opposite sides of the dish, both absorbed by the obviously extremely intense practice-match, Kai his back towards Ray._

" _WOLBORG!" Tala summoned his beast, blue eyes flashing._

" _DRANZER, ATTACK!" Kai ordered in a voice that resembled a thunder._

_The two blades collided with an amazing force, causing a flash of light that blinded all three for a moment. When they were all able to see again, they saw that both blades had been thrown off the dish. It was a tie._

_The look Ray saw in Tala's eyes made a tight knot squeeze itself around his chest. The two friends talked in Russian for a while (which was almost enough to drive Ray crazy, as he couldn't understand them), before Tala noticed him. The young man seemed far above uncomfortable as he turned his gaze towards Kai after picking up Wolborg. " I think I should go", the boy announced._

" _What for?" Kai asked, sounding confused. The boy then turned his head and saw Ray. " Hey. When did you come?"._

" _Long ago enough", Ray replied through gritted teeth._

_Few more Russian words were passed between Kai and Tala before the latter walked away, hardly daring to take a swift glance at Ray._

_As soon as Tala was out, usually calm Ray lost control over himself completely. " I thought you were supposed to stop hanging around Tala", he bit out._

" _Tala is a friend, Ray, one of which I don't exactly have too many", Kai explained, obviously trying his hardest to keep his composure._

" _Well if he's just a friend, why the hell didn't you tell me you were training with him!". Ray, who was by then roaring, knew that he was being completely ridiculous, but couldn't control himself._

" _Because I knew that something like this would be coming". Kai's auburn eyes were filled with annoyance and disappointment. " Don't you trust me, Ray? Is that it?". Kai inhaled few furious, shuttering breaths, to no avail trying to remain calm. " Damnit, I've promised you thousands of times! Why don't you trust me!"._

" _Well I'm not the one who hangs around with my ex-boyfriend!" Ray snarled. " And when you can't even tell how you feel for me, it's kinda hard to trust you, you know?"._

_Kai's eyes flashed, and Ray immediately knew that he'd crossed a line with bringing Kai and Tala's past into their argument. " So… Do you want to break up, is that what you're saying?"._

" _Perhaps it is"._

_It wasn't until then Ray realized what he'd said, and he gasped, looking at Kai with widened eyes. But before he could come up with anything to say, Kai was gone. /_

* * *

" So you are really never gonna go back to Kai, is that what you're thinking?" Max cut the long silence, during which Ray had been completely absorbed by his memories.

He nodded. " Yeah". First time since he closed the door of his previous home, a short-lived smile crossed his features, making him seem alive for a brief moment. " Don't worry, I won't be crashing here forever. Just… long enough to… get things sorted out".

" I still wish you would think this over", Max told him. " He really loves you, you know that?".

Ray's golden eyes showed a huge amount of sadness. " Well, sometimes love just isn't enough". Not self noticing it, he sighed. " Besides, we've hurt each other too many times. I… I can't go on like that forever, you know? Neither of us can". Pain – unlike anything he'd ever felt before – squeezed his heart so tightly he feared it might break. (Like it hadn't been smashed to pieces already.) " If I'd go back, it would kill us both".

Still seeming anything but sure, Max gave a small nod. " If that's how you really feel". The young man gave him a brief smile. " But go to bed. You look like shit, you know that?".

Ray couldn't help smiling slightly as well, knowing that his friend made a huge understatement. " If that makes you stop bossing me around".

Smiling, Max stretched. " Can't promise you anything". The young man begun to walk towards the bedroom. " Goodnight, Ray. Try to get some sleep, 'k?".

" I will. Night, Max".

As the bedroom door closed, Ray turned his wheelchair with a huge sigh and begun to make his way towards the couch prepared for him. He was dead-tired, after all. Attempting to sleep for at least a couple of hours wouldn't do harm.

As he finally fell into a some sort of a stupor after two hours of rolling around, his dreams were filled with Kai and their painful history.

A single crystalline tear made its way to his cheek.

* * *

/ _Ray laid in a bed in Kai's mansion – where the Bladebrakers were staying during the Russian tournament – tough he knew that he wouldn't be able to get any sleep as long as he'd be alone in the bed._

_It had been two days from when Kai had stormed out of the training-hall, and he was getting seriously worried. He knew that he'd made a strike to underneath the belt, but still… Where the heck was Kai? Was he okay? Was he… Was he with Tala?_

_With a loud sigh Ray turned around, stroking the cold side of the bed with a sad look in his eyes. It would've been so tempting to cry, but he wouldn't allow himself such pleasure. " Where are you, Kai?" he whispered a question to the unoccupied pillow. " Please, come home…"._

_With another sigh he closed his eyes, once again wondering the same thing._

_Is love supposed to be this complicated? _

_Because if love was supposed to make a person feel the way he was feeling at the moment, if it was really supposed to hurt so much…_

_Then Ray wasn't sure if in love was what he wanted to be._ /

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Uh-huh... Love sure isn't easy! But wait a sec... Ray in a **wheelchair**! Since when?

Anyway... Do you wish to read further?


	2. Searching

A/N: Before I'll jump on with the story, thank you all so much for your reviews! It warms my heart to know that there are people out there who read this, you know?

And wow, you definitely got curious about the wheelchair-thing! I'm so not telling you anything much yet – it would spoil the surprise – but I can reveal that Ray isn't combined into wheelchair in the flashbacks just yet. Don't worry, you'll know when it happens.

And about the engagement-thing of Max and Bria's… Don't worry, it's one based on love. Our little-Maxie (snif) is just growing up. (I'm revealing this now because I'll be writing pretty much only about Ray and Kai from now on.)

But now… On with the story!

* * *

/ _" No… Please, don't go… Don't leave me…"._

_The whimpers Kai had gotten accustomed to woke him up from his sound sleep, and he let out a sad sigh, turning towards Ray who was talking in his sleep. He gently stroke the Tiger's hair, then his face. " Wake up", he whispered softly, placing a kiss on Ray's tear-moisten cheek. The young man immediately woke up, and clung to him like someone who was drowning. Kai wrapped his arms tightly around the shivering form of his love and held Ray as close to him as possible as the Chinese cried. " Sh… It's alright… It was just a dream…". The soothing would've been far more convincing if he'd even himself believed in his own words. " Was it the same nightmare, love?"._

_He felt Ray nod against his chest. " Yeah". The Tiger sobbed. " It… You left, and… I couldn't find you… Kai, I was so scared…"._

" _Sh…". He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, stroking Ray's silky hair. " I am not going anywhere"._

_It was a promise he'd been forced to renew countless of times since he finally came back after their huge argument about Tala, after being missing for almost five days. A promise neither of them dared to believe in just yet._

_After a while, Ray eventually calmed down and stopped sobbing. " Are you alright?" Kai asked gently, still holding the young man and stroking his hair._

_Ray nodded. " Yeah". He gave one last sob. " Just… Let me sleep like this, okay?"._

_Kai smiled, tough Ray couldn't see it. " Okay". He kissed Ray's hair. " Goodnight, love. Sleep tight". He kissed Ray's cheek he could just barely see from behind the raven blocks. " And no more __nightmares"._

" _Okay". Ray snuggled even closer to him, taking in his warmth and scent as they both knew very well. " Good night"._

_As Ray drifted off to sleep, Kai blinked his eyes and looked at the stars and moon shining behind the window. That night, his desperate eyes were asking only one question, but the answer wouldn't be given to him._

_Would he and Ray ever learn to be together without bringing each other pain?_ /

* * *

Sitting in a plane, on his way towards New York, an auburn eyed young man looked at the landscape below him, vacant stare not really seeing a thing, subconsciously playing with the beautiful golden ring with leaf-engravings decorating it on his finger.

A huge mixture of emotions he still wasn't used to was twirling inside of him. Pain, sadness, love, guilt, frustration… Considering all the pain they'd been through, he understood perfectly why Ray had left. And for that, it was almost unbearable to go and ask for the neko-jin to come back and continue the tangle that had caused them both so many scars.

But Kai Hiwatari had never been a quitter. And despite all they pain they'd brought on each other, the neko-jin was the only one he'd ever loved, the only one he would ever love. He wasn't going to let something like that slip through his fingers.

The monotonous voice suddenly woke him up from his thoughts.

" Flight to New York is about to land. Please fasten your seatbelts".

* * *

/ _Both Kai and Ray's eyes were filled with anger as they charged their blades onto the dish. Such anger that made their team-mates observing the practice-match extremely worried._

_That morning, before the training-session, the couple had had yet another one of their fights. What made the others worried was that so far there had been no reconciliation._

" _DRIGER!"._

" _DRANZER!"._

_The blades struck against each other so harshly that sparks could easily be seen. The others gasped._

" _Cool it down before you'll end up braking your blades!" Kenny warned them._

" _Or each other!" Hilary filled in._

_Their words echoed on deaf ears._

" _I am sick of hearing about Tala, Ray", Kai announced through his teeth. " I don't know what it takes to convince you, but I'm sick and tired of explaining myself"._

" _Well I'm sick and tired of you not being able to sort out how you feel! I deserve to know how you feel, Kai!" Ray hollered back, eyes squinting. " DRIGER, ATTACK!"._

" _DRANZER, DEFEND!" Kai ordered, then turned his attention back to Ray. " I can't give you answers I don't have!"._

" _Kai, watch out!" Hilary yelped a warning._

_It came too late. Ray's blade – which had been pushed off the dish by Dranzer – was flying straight towards Kai, and as everyone watched with horror it made brief contact with his forehead, causing a nasty gash that would definitely leave a mark._

_As Ray stood frozen by terror and shock, eyes larger than Kai had ever seen them, the others begun to fuss around him._

" _Oh my gosh…"._

" _Are you okay?"._

" _Does your head hurt?"._

" _Should we call a doctor?"._

" _I'm fine", Kai cut the flood of questions, annoyed of the attention. At that moment, everyone else subtly backed down as Ray walked up to Kai, blinking to fight away the tears, and wrapped his arms tightly around Kai, burying his face into the Phoenix's chest. Ray immediately begun to shutter with sobs. " Ray…"._

" _Kai, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry… You have to believe me, I didn't want to hurt you… I didn't mean…"._

" _Ray, sh, it's okay… I'm fine…". He gently stroke Ray's hair, trying to make the Tiger calm down. " It's okay…"._

" _No, it isn't", Tyson's voice cut in. The Dragon's midnight-blue eyes were flaming with determination. " We've been watching you two fighting for a long time, but this has come too far"._

" _You'll have to do something before you'll end up seriously harming each other", Hilary stated._ /

* * *

Sitting in a small café at the airport, Kai tried to gather courage to make the next step. Flying all the way across the world had been easy compared to what he'd have to do next.

Face Ray Kon.

Eventually he pulled his cell-phone from his jacket-pocket and dialed the numbers that had became familiar to him during the past few days.

" _Hello?_" Max's sleepy voice asked.

Kai bit his lip in guilt. It was three am, his friend had obviously been sleeping. " Sorry I woke you up, but… I'm here, and I had to call…".

" _No, it's okay. I'm glad you called_". Max gave a sigh, obviously one of relief. " _Thank goodness you're here, Kai! Ray… Ray isn't himself_".

Suppressing his tears, Kai closed his eyes for a short while, then opened them again. " What is he doing now?".

" _Sleeping. He fell asleep about an hour ago_", Max replied.

Looking out the window of the café, Kai noticed that thunder was raging outside. He bit his lip once again, his eyes becoming suspiciously moist. " Look, Max… Ray hates thunders, and…". He couldn't finish as the suppressed tears seemed to be choking him.

" _Don't worry, he's in good hands. Besides, you'll be here soon_".

" Yeah". Kai blinked as he noticed the circle in his coffee, caused by the single tear that had despite all struggle broken loose. " See you soon".

" _See you_".

Hanging up while fighting back the rest of his tears, Kai decided that he'd have to go or he'd never have enough of courage to. His legs barely supported him as he shakily got up and walked out of the café, abandoning his coffee.

* * *

/ _Both Kai and Ray were feeling extremely uncomfortable while sitting on the couch of therapist Kelly Hanson, with the said woman in her late twenties looking at them._

_For almost an hour they'd been flooding all their mess – Tala, Kai's inability to recognize his feelings, Kai's hard past that was probably the cause of his emotional problems, Ray's jealousy and insecurity – but it seemed that they were getting nowhere._

_That was until Kelly finally asked a useful question. " Do you think you would be happier without each other?"._

_It was funny, actually. Before the session, neither of them had actually put a thought to that question, although the thought of breaking up had almost constantly been present. But now that it was made…_

_Both Ray and Kai had slight smiles upon their faces as they looked at each other. Their reply came almost simultaneously. " No"._

" _Then… Do you think you could be happy together?"._

" _I don't know", Kai replied bluntly, then looked at Ray again. " But I'm ready to do everything I can if that's what you are too"._

_Ray smiled, taking Kai's hand. " Whatever it takes"._

_Back then, neither had a slightest idea of how difficult it would be… Or how hard it would get._ /

* * *

It took for ages before Kai finally found a taxi, and by the time he sat in he was drenched wet. The young male driver gave him a look through the rearview mirror. " It's a real dog's weather, huh?".

" Yeah", he replied monotonously and then rattled Max's address, hoping the man would understand that he wasn't in the mood for talking.

The driver, however, seemed to have other plans. " There are only few explanations when a customer I pick up from an airport seems that sad", the driver told him. " I'm guessing someone really broke your heart".

Kai sighed so quietly that the nosy driver couldn't hear it, looking out the window. " It's much more complicated than that".

" Did she run away with another man?".

" No". He felt deeply irritated. Why the heck was that man so interested in his business? And why on earth was he actually wanting to talk to him? " It's never been quite that simple with us".

The driver gave him another quick glance, tough it was raining so hard that the man should've kept his eyes on the road. " She's quite something, isn't she?".

Kai didn't bother to correct the man's assumption of his love's gender. " Yeah", he replied simply.

* * *

/ _Both Kai and Ray had almost fallen asleep as they laid on the couch of their current hotel room, Kai holding Ray gently in his arms. Not a word had been said for a long time, but they were both content with the silence. After everything, words weren't needed between them._

_Ray almost startled as Kai suddenly spoke. " Ray… There's something I've been meaning to ask you", the Russian murmured._

_Ray was slightly surprised. " Yeah?"._

_He felt almost disappointed as Kai left the couch, moving so that the Phoenix was sitting before him on the floor. He became puzzled when seeing how nervous Kai was. What the heck was going on? Should he be worried? " I know that we've been far from the easiest possible couple, and I doubt it will get any easier from here, but…". Kai swallowed nervously, looking at him in the eyes. " But… I'm not scared or confused anymore, for I know for a fact that I love you. And I will never feel this way towards anyone else. With you, I'll withstand through anything". Taking advantage on Ray's shock caused by the words, Kai paused while taking something out of his pocket. Ray gasped loudly when seeing that it was a small box, and even more loudly as Kai opened it. Inside there was a beautiful golden ring with leaf-engravings decorating it. Kai's eyes seemed to be flaming as the young man looked at him again. " Ray Kon, do you accept this?"._

_A tear Ray didn't even notice slid across his cheek as he jumped on Kai, making them both fall down onto the floor, and kissed the Phoenix with all passion he could possibly find. As they had to part in lack of oxygen, he finally panted his answer. " Yes". He laughed through by then flooding tears of happiness, kissing Kai again, tough much more shortly this time. " I definitely will". _/

* * *

They drove in silence for a while, and Kai already thought the man had given up on bothering him with his prying questions. Oh how wrong he was.

" You came here to get her back, didn't you?" the driver asked him.

" Yes".

" Do you think she'll go back with you?".

Funny. Kai hadn't actually thought about that question before jumping into the plane. But now that he did… Cold shivers ran down his spine. " I have no idea".

The driver paused the flood of questions to take a particularly challenging turn on the road slippery due to the rain, then gave him one more look. " I don't mean to intrude or anything, but… What did you do that was so bad she would actually leave and perhaps never come back?".

Kai felt a huge flash of pain in his heart, and he had to close his eyes for a short while to keep the tears from coming. " It's… a long story". He sighed, opening his eyes slowly. " A long, complicated story".

" Sounds that way". The driver made another turn, they were in downtown already, and Kai suddenly felt terribly nervous. He had almost forgotten about the driver when the man chose to speak again. " I see you're wearing a ring", the man announced. " Seems you two got pretty far before she left".

Kai blinked his eyes, looking at his ring. Once again tears weren't far, but he managed to hold them back. " Yeah, we did".

" Did it get messy?".

" I suppose you could say that", Kai murmured while looking out the window once again, reliving all the harsh words thrown between him and Ray.

The next question, tough the answer was an easy one, made Kai's heart jump all the way to his throat. " Do you love her?".

First time since Ray's departure, a small, slightly dreamy smile of a man in love crossed his features. " More than any words could ever say".

* * *

/ _Ray frowned as he woke up and noticed that the bed was cold. Blinking his eyes in the darkness, he touched the other side of the bed, but only met a soft mattress. " Kai?"._

_There was no response, and as he turned around he felt something close to panic when discovering that Kai wasn't there. A deep frown upon his face, he slowly got off the bed, pretty much already guessing where Kai had gone to._

_And just like so many times before, he found Kai sitting on the rooftop, desperate eyes darted towards the stars above. The Phoenix had his back towards Ray, so he was unaware of the Tiger's presence as he begun talking quietly. " Mom… I don't understand… When you talked about love, you always said that it's the greatest power of all. But now I'm in love… or at least think I am… and… I feel weaker and more scared than ever before". A sob was heard. " Why is that? Why… Why does it have to be so complicated? I don't understand…"._

" _Because great feelings are never easy", Ray dared himself to reply. _

_Obviously startled by the unexpected voice, Kai peered over his shoulder. " What are you doing here?"._

" _The bed was cold without you". Ray sighed, offering Kai his hand. " Come inside. It's too cold to talk up here, and you'll catch a cold"._

_With apparent reluctance, Kai took the hand, already knowing that their "talking" would be far from pleasant._

_Fifteen minutes later, they were in a warm living-room. _

" _You should be talking about those things to me, not to your mother", Ray stated, sounding more than slightly offended. " It shouldn't be so hard for you to talk to me about your feelings"._

" _It's not that easy, okay?" Kai snapped, then sighed and rubbed his face with both hands. " I know how much you hate me being so damn unsure, I don't want to hurt you. And…". A flash of pain could be seen in Kai's eyes, for a while he seemed like a trapped animal. " I'm not used to this, you know? All this… this love… It's so new to me. How am I supposed to know what to do?"._

" _That's why you should be talking to me!" Ray almost shouted, irritated. He was absently aware of the fact that he was being insensitive and ridiculous, but couldn't stop himself. " If we ever want to sort out our problems and make that stupid therapy work, you are gonna have to start sharing your feelings with us who are still alive!". By then, he was fuming. " I need you to talk to me, Kai!"._

" _I don't know how to talk about these things!". Kai was obviously loosing his temper. " And don't you dare tell me that I'm not wanting to sort out our problems, because that's bullshit!"._

" _Well how are you supposed to know about sorting things out, when all you've ever done is running away from your problems!" Ray roared, eyes blazing._

_Enraged by the words, Kai raised his hand against Ray, but it never moved before he realized what he'd been about to do and the hand dropped while his eyes widened with shock. " Oh my God…", he whispered, taking a couple of steps backwards. " I'm sorry". With that he turned around, almost ready to run away. He never got out of the room, however, before he felt a hand graphing his tightly, obviously not about to let go. Surprised, he turned around and found Ray's golden eyes boring pleadingly into his._

" _I'm not going to let you go this time", Ray whispered, the hold on his hand tightening. " Please, stay. We've gotta sort this out"._

_Giving in under Ray's loving eyes, Kai simply nodded, feeling deeply exhausted all of a sudden, and took one short step forward, then threw his arms tightly around Ray. Without slightest hesitation, the Tiger returned the embrace._ /

* * *

With another turn, Kai realized that they were getting really, really close to Max's place, and the nervousness he'd been feeling before grew ten times more severe.

Gods, how could he ever do this?

Once again, the driver looked at him through the mirror. " Feeling nervous?".

He surprised himself by giving a small laughter. " To make a huge understatement, yeah".

" Don't you worry. According to what I've heard, you love her tremendously. She would be a fool to turn down something like that".

Kai felt a slight bang of sadness as he realized that it wasn't really that simple. He and Ray really, really loved each other, so much that it scared them. But they had also hurt each other worse than they'd hurt most of their opponents when blading. If injuries like that could be forgiven and forgotten, he had no idea.

He gave the driver a small smile, however, to give the man an impression that he'd managed to help. " Thanks".

The driver, looking at him through the mirror, smiled. " Only doing my job".

All of a sudden, Kai felt his breath caught into his throat as he saw another car coming straight towards them from behind red light – a car his driver obviously hadn't noticed. " Look out!" he yelled a warning, but too late.

He felt his entire body jolt as the other car crushed against the taxi with a speed far higher than the speed limit.

A sickening sound of metal crushing was all he could hear.

* * *

/ _Ray's eyes were closed as he leaned his head against Kai's shoulder while the Phoenix drove the car they'd rented through Californian streets. It was summer and unbearably hot outside, but thanks to the air-conditioning they were feeling relatively comfortable. _

" _Are we there yet?" he murmured, not opening his eyes._

" _Just a little while longer", Kai replied with as much patience as could be expected after Ray having repeated the question more than twenty times._

_It had been Ray's idea to go and see Disney World now that they were in America and the tournament was over. Kai couldn't understand such childishness, but had agreed to go along after Ray had persuaded him with his special skills._

_Opening his eyes and yawning, Ray decided that he was bored – and that he hence needed entertainment. Kai groaned as he trailed kisses down the young man's neck. " Ray, stop disturbing me when I'm driving"._

_Ray smirked, revealing his fangs. " Nah, I'm having too much fun"._

" _We'll see how much fun you have when we drive off the road", Kai replied darkly, trying his hardest to ignore the little kisses that were driving him insane with pleasure._

_Suddenly all begun to happen really, really fast. Out of nowhere came a coyote, running straight towards the car. _

" _Watch out!" Ray yelled, voice and eyes filled with utter terror._

_With struggle, Kai managed to turn the car just in time to miss the coyote, but that was all the luck they were going to have that day. The car drove off the road, down a cliff and towards the stones below._

_Ray's horrified screams and the sickening sound of metal crushing against the stones were the last things Kai heard before his world turned black._ /

* * *

TBC.

* * *

A/N: Oh crap, this isn't good! Will Kai and Ray see each other again? But wait a minute… Things were just beginning to work between them, so… What made Ray leave? And the wheelchair…?

Many questions for the last chapter, huh?

'Til next time, everyone!


	3. Choosing

A/N: Time for the third – and guess what – **LAST** chapter! At this point I'd like to send gigantic thanks and hugs to all of you fantastic people who've bothered to read and review! Ok, I know that you're all just itching to know how this ends, but hang in there just for a little while longer…

Um… About the… er… cliff or whatever you like to call the thing Kai and Ray drove off from… It indeed was a small one. I couldn't exactly squash them in the flashback… (grin) It's just that my geographical vocabulary failed me. 'Suppose it's the curse of being a non-native English-speaker. (It's only good that you are being this observant, makes a writer respect you all the more.)

And about Ray's wheelchair-thing… Unfortunately, he's state really is permanent. (snif) (Btw, this was a new question.)

Most of you have probably already figured out how Ray got into the wheelchair, but now let's get answers to all the other questions…

* * *

/ _" Ray? Can you hear me?"._

_The soft, evidently worried voice was the first thing Ray heard since the darkness had engulfed him. But… He didn't want to wake up just yet. He felt so tired, all he wanted to do was to get back into that blissful darkness…_

" _Sleep…", his dry lips formed, so quietly that the person sitting next to his bed barely heard._

" _Oh no, you've been sleeping far too much already", the voice he still couldn't recognise told him, sounding amused. " Come on, love. Open your eyes"._

_His eyes slowly fluttered open, and he found Kai sitting beside him. " Hey"._

_Kai smiled, he felt the Phoenix stroking his hand. " Hey to you too"._

_As much as Ray would've wanted to relax under Kai's comforting touch, something just didn't seem right… He couldn't understand why, but all his thoughts seemed to be jumbled, it was almost impossible to think clearly. Everything was so confusing… He couldn't remember… " What happened?" he finally managed to croak, still confused._

" _We had an accident", Kai told him. " This is hospital. You've been in a coma for three weeks"._

_Ray frowned as he studied Kai's face. " Are you okay?"._

_Kai smiled, stroking his hand again. " Yeah. All I got was a concussion"._

_Relieved, Ray nodded. All begun to make sense now. He remembered the accident, the car driving off the road, the horrible sound of metal crushing… But he could see from Kai's eyes that the Russian wasn't telling him everything._

_Still feeling confused, he pushed himself up, then rubbed his face with one hand as his head protested against the sudden movement. _

" _Ray, you should lie down!" Kai warned him._

_He smiled at his loved one. " Since when has Kai Hiwatari been babying people?"._

_All of a sudden, his senses warned him that something was wrong. Something wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Before he could even think about it, his hand had made its way to another one his legs – and he immediately let out a loudest gaps he'd ever made. The touch… He couldn't feel it… His legs wouldn't feel a thing._

_Oh my God…_

_He looked at Kai, eyes widened with terror, and saw a pained look upon the Phoenix's face. He didn't even notice how hard he was shivering as he pointed towards his legs. " Explain. Now!"._ /

* * *

Ray's heart had never been pounding the way it did when he approached the reception of the hospital, followed by Max and Bria whose terror didn't come even close to his.

" Excuse me?" he called, voice small and shaky.

The woman that easily gave an impression of a rat looked at him almost evilly from behind her huge glasses. " Yes?" her voice croaked.

" I'm looking for Kai Hiwatari. He… He was brought here two hours ago".

" Are you a relative?".

Ray felt his cheeks blush madly. " A f-fiancé", he muttered, unable to understand why he felt so embarrassed by the word.

There was a hint of disgust in the woman's eyes as she gave him a brief look before typing on her computer. She was obviously about to say something rather nasty when another, much more pleasant voice prevented her. " Are you by any chance Ray Kon?".

Turning his wheelchair, Ray saw a young doctor in about her late twenties. She was a latino, her long dark hair on a ponytail, and the gaze of her midnight-brown eyes locked questionably to him.

He nodded, frowning slightly. " Yeah. How did you know?".

" I'm Dr. Carla Stokes, Kai's doctor", she introduced herself. " Before he lost consciousness, Kai gave the paramedics your name. We thought you might be someone important to him. That's why we searched out your cell-phone number".

Ray's heart seemed to turn into ice by one of the words. Thankfully Max spoke so he didn't have to voice the inevitable question. " Lost consciousness?". The blonde's voice was deep and small, much unlike the one his friends were accustomed to.

Dr. Stokes sighed. " I'm sorry, but unfortunately the head-injury and blood-loss caused Kai to fall into unconsciousness". She kept a short pause, allowing them the swallow the harsh information. " We are worried that he might slip into a coma".

Ray's hands were shaking uncontrollably as he covered his face with them, letting out a small, barely audible cry. " Oh my God…".

Not knowing what else to do to ease his friend's pain, Max placed his hand comfortingly onto Ray's shoulder, his own tears spilling. Looking at the two, Bria realised that she'd have to be the one doing the talking. " How… how is he doing?" she asked quietly, rubbing Max's back soothingly. " What are the…?". She couldn't finish.

" Along with the head-injury, he has a broken arm and possibly some internal injuries we haven't been able to get our hands on". Dr. Stokes sighed. " It's much too early to predict anything. We'll just have to see if he makes it through tonight".

* * *

/ _Ray had a small smile upon his face as he looked at all his friends celebrating and having fun._

_It was two weeks earlier when Tyson and Hilary had announced their engagement. Now the two were throwing a huge party._

_It seemed Ray was the only one who wasn't completely having fun. The others were dancing, and now that Kai had gone to use the bathroom he was left sitting alone in his wheelchair. He wasn't feeling sorry for himself or anything, no, just… feeling like he was a part of the decoration._

_A smile, however, made its way to his lips as he saw Kai approaching him. As the Russian got to him they exchanged a soft, loving kiss. " Missed me?" Kai inquired as the kiss ended._

_He snickered. " Don't think too highly of yourself"._

_As Kai sat onto a chair beside him, holding his hand, he suddenly realised something. That was what Kai had been forced to do all night. Not that the Phoenix had minded, but… Ray suddenly understood that he'd been selfish. Even tough he was combined into a wheelchair, it didn't mean that Kai should've been tied up too. And as he saw Tala on the dance-floor, he decided that this was a perfect chance to show Kai that he did trust him. " You should go there", he announced. " Or no, I order you to go there and have some fun"._

_Kai gave him a quick look with a frown. " You sure?"._

_He nodded, smiling. " Yeah. Go. At least another one of us has to dance tonight"._

_Kai gave him a chaste kiss. " I'll be back soon, 'k?"._

" _Go!"._

_As Ray watched Kai's distancing back, he couldn't help feeling a bang in his chest, and it grew ten times worse when he saw his boyfriend dancing nearby Tala. It was almost unbearable to look as Tala's hands wrapped themselves around Kai's waist, and the two begun to move in perfect sync._

_Ray knew for a fact that there was nothing more to it, Kai would never cheat on him. That much he'd learned to know during their long therapy-sessions._

_But still… He couldn't stop himself from wondering._

_Life with him would always restrain Kai. That was a fact they'd talked about for several times._

_But with Tala… Kai could've been free. And he knew very well how much Kai loved freedom._

_Who was Ray to take it away from the one he loved?_ /

* * *

Ray didn't know for how long he'd been simply crying, too paralysed and shocked to do anything else, when he heard Dr. Stokes' soft voice speaking to him. " Ray… Just before he slipped into unconsciousness, Kai left something to the paramedics. Something he wanted them to give to you if you would show up".

With great might, Ray managed to fight back the tears and, hands still trembling, wiped his wet cheeks. " Y – yeah?".

After searching through her pockets for a while, Dr. Stokes handed something towards him. " He said this belongs to you".

Taking the thing onto his outstretched hand, Ray let out a loud gasp and new tears immediately begun rolling as he recognised the familiar ring. " Kai…", he whispered, stroking the surface of the ring with his one finger, shivering like never before in his life.

At that moment, the immense weight of the situation became too much for him. Ever since he'd left Kai, he'd been balancing on the edge of braking down. But now, his limit of endurance had been crossed. Kai being hurt, all the pain and memories coming back to him by this single ring… He just couldn't take it.

Feeling like his head had been about to blow up, he hid the ring into his pocket and then abruptly turned his wheelchair, prepared to storm out. " Ray, what are you doing?" he heard Max ask, the man's voice confused.

" I… I need some fresh air, okay? I… I need to think", he muttered, just and just able to speak through his tears.

Before Max had even the chance to think of replying, he was out, not even noticing the pouring rain washing over him. He felt like his entire world had been falling apart as he stopped his wheelchair a small distance from the door, becoming drenched wet in a matter of seconds.

The people passing by gave him looks of pity as he begun sobbing hysterically, completely loosing control over himself, and buried his face to his hands.

* * *

/ _The more days passed from Tyson and Hilary's engagement-party, the more tension there seemed to form between Ray and Kai._

_The fights they'd thought were behind them had came back, more vicious than ever, and they both knew that it was all about frustration. After the party and his painful realisation, Ray found himself frustrated when he couldn't bring himself into telling Kai how he felt, how scared he was of the idea that he was restraining the one he loved the most. And while Ray became more and more silent by each day, Kai became frustrated as he couldn't understand what was wrong with his love._

_As Ray dialled the numbers of his cell-phone, barely managing to hold back his tears, the things said in an argument just taken place echoed in his mind._

" _No Kai, you don't understand! You could never understand!"._

" _Well how am I supposed to when you don't even talk to me anymore! Do you have any idea of how much it hurts? Stop pushing me away! I want to know what's wrong, Ray! I want to fix things, but I can't do it alone!"._

" _Well, perhaps some things are not meant to be fixed"._

_Ray shook the painful memories away as the one he'd called answered. " Hello?"._

" _Hi Max, it's me". His voice sounded strange even in his own ears._

" _Ray? Is something wrong?"._

_With those words, the first tears made their way to Ray's cheeks. " Y – yeah…". He sniffed. " I… I'm leaving Kai"._

_Max made a loud gasp. " What! Ray…"._

" _Can I come and stay with you for some time? At least until… until I've sorted out my head?". He sniffed again. " Please?"._

_Max sighed. " Okay. But we're gonna do some serious talking when you get here"._

" '_K. Thanks". With that Ray hang up, surrendering to his tears._ /

* * *

A flood of memories filled Ray's mind, and the burning-hot tears begun to roll even harder as he was stunned to notice that not even nearly all of the memories were dark.

He hated himself all of a sudden for not being inside, sitting by Kai's bed as he knew Max and Bria would probably be doing as soon as they'd get in. He was the one who loved Kai the most, damnit! So what was he doing there outside?

He knew the answer, no matter how little he liked it.

A part of him didn't want to go inside, face Kai again. Because he knew that if he would, he'd never be able to leave again.

All of a sudden sounds of approaching steps reached his ears, followed by a familiar voice. " Here you are". An umbrella was placed to cover him from the rain, although he was already soaked wet. " You should come inside. You'll catch a cold".

He turned his head slowly, and for a smallest moment he felt his heartbeat quicken as he stared into breathtaking, fiery pools of auburn. But the illusion soon faded, allowing him to see Max's blue, worry-filled eyes. " I… I'm not sure…", he whispered, turning his gaze away from Max, tears still rolling.

" I understand", Max reassured him. For a longest time silence lingered over them as they drifted into their own thoughts. Eventually Max spoke out. " Look, I'm going inside, 'k? Dr. Stokes just ran some tests, she might have something new to tell". Max paused for a while. " If you feel like coming too, Kai's room-number is 329".

He nodded and looked at Max, giving a pathetic attempt of a smile through his tears. " Okay. Thanks".

For a while Max stood still, looking at him, obviously debuting whether to leave or not. Once realising that there was nothing he could do to help Ray, the blonde turned around and slowly walked away.

As soon as Max was gone, Ray once again buried his face to his hands, tears mixing with rain-water.

* * *

/ _Two days after his phone-call to Max, Ray was writing a letter to Kai, tear spilling in an endless flow. _

_Dear Kai,_

_I know that you'll think this was a rash decision, something I'll regret as soon as the deed is done. But this time, that's not the case, for I've been thinking about this for a long time now. I'm leaving, but before I do, I think you deserve an explanation._

_We've worked so hard and for so long to make things work between us that this feels almost like waste, but in my heart, I know that this isn't. No matter how much we love each other and want to be together, it just won't work. _

_I'm so tired, Kai. Of all these stupid arguments, of having to apologise all the time, of constantly being on my toes… I can't live like this for the rest of my life, and I can't force you to do so either. I love you too much for that._

_I wish I could ask you not to hate me for this, but I can't. I know you, and I know that you'll never understand why I did this. You are too stubborn to admit when the battle is through. That's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. So it has to be me who admits the loss and walks away, no matter how much it hurts. I have to give us both a chance to live without getting hurt._

_I'm sorry that I have to hurt you this one last time, but it's for the sake of us both. I hope that even if you wouldn't be able to forgive me, you would respect my decision enough not to question it._

_Goodbye. I wish we could've made it._

_- Ray_

_Just a stupid letter that didn't cover even half of the full truth, but that was all Ray could give Kai. What a lousy way to end something that had meant so much for the both of them._

_Trying to no avail suppress his tears, Ray put letter into an envelope, then turned his wheelchair and made his way to Kai, who was sleeping serenely in the bed. Tears still spilling, he carefully placed the envelope to the pillow that would've normally been occupied by his head, then gave in to the temptation and placed a small, feather-light kiss onto Kai's cheek. " Goodbye. I'm sorry", he whispered into Kai's ear._

_After guarding Kai's peaceful sleep for a while, not even bothering to hold back tears, he eventually turned his wheelchair, deciding that he'd have to leave or he'd never get it done. With that thought he disappeared like he'd been just a dream to Kai._

_And the only thing proving he'd really been there was the letter that shone in the moonlight._ /

* * *

Hours had probably passed until Ray finally got the most of his tears cried out and the sobs begun to subside, leaving a hiccup that made him feel like a five-year-old.

It wasn't until then he remembered the ring, and immediately begun to search for it. He was just about to panic, thinking he'd lost it, when his fingers met cold metal and he fished out the beautiful sign of promise. Holding it onto the palm of his hand, he couldn't help but become stunned by the way the few lights of night danced on its delicate surface, making it shine magnificently.

Sighing deeply, he squeezed his eyes tightly shut, letting his thoughts whirr.

What was he supposed to do? If he would go back inside, it would mean going back to the life he'd had with Kai, beginning the entire ride all over again. And despite the fact the he loved Kai, he wasn't sure if he was ready to bear such pain anymore. Besides, hadn't he left to keep Kai from being stuck with him for the rest of his life, to let Kai have a life that for once wouldn't be filled with deprivation?

But… Kai needed him, now probably more than ever before. And… What if Kai would never wake up? If… if the unthinkable was to happen, would he ever be able to forgive himself for never being there for the one he loved the most? Gods, he wanted to be by Kai's side, wanted to so much. But he wasn't sure if either one of them was ready to pay the price.

So many questions. So many questions he wouldn't find answers to without seeing the game until the bitter end. Suddenly he almost wished that Max would've forced him to make up his mind to one way or another: he was just too confused to make such an important decision. And this time, he couldn't make a mistake.

The rain had already stopped when Ray finally opened his golden eyes that were filled with determination and squeezed his hand tightly around the ring.

He had made up his mind.

* * *

/ _There was an irony taste of blood in Kai's mouth as he finally completed his long run, noticing that he'd came back to his mansion. Slowly walking towards the door, he was unable to keep his thoughts under control._

_It'd been eight days from when he'd woken up to find Ray's letter of goodbye. Ever since he'd been doing these running-exercises, each day going further and faster, almost like he'd been possessed. But no matter how far or fast he ran, no amount of physical pain and exhaustion could wipe Ray's face out of his mind._

_Once inside, he noticed that there were two new messages in his answering-machine. He pushed the button carelessly and listened only absently while walking into kitchen to get a glass of water._

" _Hey, it's me". The deeply worried voice that spoke in Russian belonged to Tala. Since Ray had left, Tala had been calling and stopping by constantly, using every excuse imaginable to contact him. Although Kai understood that the other was worried and wanted to give him support, he still would've preferred being left alone. " I see you're not at home, so… Call me, 'k? Bye". _

_The second message made the water Kai was slowly gulping down stuck into his throat._

" _Kai, it's Max". The young man paused. " Look, I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do, but I don't think I have any other choice". There was loud sigh. " Ray came here about a week ago, after he left you, and… I'm really worried about him". Another pause. " I don't know what happened between the two of you – I've asked, but Ray won't tell me anything – but… Please, you've gotta come here, because if you don't…". Max gulped. " If you don't come, I don't know what he'll do". Max sighed again, exhaustedly, sounding like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. " Look, this is my last resort. I… I don't want to betray Ray's trust but… I don't think he can live without you". The one minute's time to leave the message was almost up. " Come here, okay?"._

_As the message ended, Kai stood still for a full minute, Max's desperate words ringing in his ears, eyes widened and heart racing unlike after any amount of running. Eventually he gained back his ability move, and was by the phone faster than he'd ever moved, dialling numbers. It seemed to take forever before there was an answer. " Hi, I'd like to book a ticket for the next possible flight to New York…"._ /

* * *

When Kai slowly begun to inch his eyelids that seemed to weight a ton, he let out a silent groan as the far too bright rays of sun attacked them.

Too bright… He couldn't see… Everything was so hazy and disoriented…

Letting his eyes adjust to the light, he tried to clear his tangled thoughts. It was almost impossible to think straight… Where was he? What had happened?

Then it struck on him. There had been an accident, a car driving recklessly… So… Was he in a hospital, then? The beeping that just then came to his ears confirmed this assumption.

Panic hit him like a tidal-wave. He'd always hated hospitals. For how long had he spent here? And why did his head feel like it'd been struck by a sledgehammer?

The panicked thoughts, however, were washed away in a matter of seconds as another sound, much more pleasant one, reached his ears.

_Purring?_

His heart skipped a beat. There was only one person he knew who could purr… His vision almost perfectly clear, he slowly moved his head, afraid that he wouldn't see what he wanted to so much. A small, tired smile graced his lips as the sight greeted him.

Ray was sitting – or sleeping, actually – beside his bed, holding his good hand with both hands, almost like fearing that should the hold break, Kai might vanish. The Tiger's head had fallen to rest on Kai's abdomen, causing some stubborn raven blocks to stray carelessly. Although Ray was sleeping then, the huge, black bags underneath the neko-jin's eyes and the unnaturally pale skin told that he'd been doing so far too little lately. When Kai slowly moved his gaze to Ray's hand, his smile widened slightly as he noticed the ring on the Tiger's finger.

It took just about all his willpower not to reach out his hand and touch Ray, but he decided that the other needed sleep, and he wasn't exactly in the condition to start the long, serious discussion they needed to have either. Therefore he slowly leaned his head back to the pillows and, after taking one more look at Ray, allowed his eyes to slip shut. The smile still remained on his lips as he drifted into peaceful sleep.

**

* * *

**

**End.**

* * *

A/N: YIPPEE! Over! Done! Finished!

You know, I was an inch from making this a death-fic, but changed my mind when I figured that you would've probably slaughtered me for it. Another option was to make this classical soap-opera scene where Kai would've woken up and asked Ray 'Who the heck are you?', but… Well, I eventually decided not to make it such.

Anyways, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this story! I hope you liked this last chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Now, towards the unknown! Bye!


End file.
